NHL 12
/ ps3
/ xbox360

Of the four major North American sports, hockey ranks behind only football in terms of its physicality. It’s a brutal game played at high speed; finesse players make headlines with their graceful goal-scoring, but bigger, stronger, and slower skaters have important purposes to serve, too.

Alas, videogame hockey is a different story. The virtual ice is a wide-open arena in which racking up points is of paramount importance. In most games, it made sense to stack a team with speedy snipers; that way, you could fly up and down the ice and pepper the opposing goalie with shots.

Until now, that is. In EA Sports’ NHL 12, grinders finally get their due.